Young boxers on Indy's east side want community in their corner

Indy boxer Anthony Sims Jr., 21, wants world title, but he’d rather make his world better. Watch as Sims trains not only in the ring himself, but with kids in his east-side gym.
Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar

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Young boxers at SIMS Boxing Gym on East 10th Street wait to receive their new boxing gloves Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. Billy Vaughan, of Title Boxing Clubs, organized a donation drive and gave 75 pairs of gloves to the kids at SIMS Boxing Gym.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)Buy Photo

A lot of kids who grow up in tough neighborhoods learn how to fight early. They fight to survive.

Kids in the Emerson Heights neighborhood on the east side have found a safe place to trade blows. It all happens in a boxing ring.

Sims Boxing Gym opened at 4615 E. 10th St. three years ago. What once was a thrift store now houses two boxing rings and a lot of dreams.

Boys and girls as young as 5 up to age 17 work out at the gym, paying $20 a month for a chance to build skills on and off the mat.

Now another Indianapolis gym has stepped up to outfit the kids with new gloves, shoes and equipment. Title Boxing Club made the donation Wednesday evening at the east-side gym in front of dozens of aspiring young boxers.

"It's an amazing gift," said Tohana Sims-Capler, who manages the club for her son, owner and operator Anthony Sims Jr., who just so happens to be a champion boxer on the world stage.

He earned bronze medals at the U.S. Men's Championships in 2012 and at the World Championships in 2013. Sims currently is the undefeated light heavyweight champ with a record of 14-0.

"We have 42 boxers in our youth program, and tonight, every child walked away with a pair of gloves," Sims-Capler said of the donation. "It was wonderful. I think it motivated each child and let them know that the community cares about what they're doing."

And what they're doing is a lot more than boxing. The gym offers mentoring, tutoring and nutrition programs, in addition to competitive team boxing and individual training.

Before the gym opened across from the old Emerson Theater, the neighborhood had its share of vandalism, but Sims-Capler said the kids now take pride in their streets.

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Three young boxing students work the same bag at SIMS Boxing Gym on East 10th Street, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. (Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

"Since we opened, the kids have been volunteering in neighborhood cleanups with the Emerson Heights Association. They realize the gym is not just about boxing. It's about embracing the neighborhood and showing love and care and compassion for one another and for where they live."

Sims Boxing Gym has applied for nonprofit status, which should allow it to offer more opportunities for children in the area, she said.

"We want to give them life skills to be productive members of our community so that 10 years from now they can come back and say, 'Maybe I didn't become a world champion, but I became a life champion.' That's what we want."

Noteworthy

Julian Jam: One of Indy’s newest breweries, Centerpoint Brewing in the Circle City Industrial Complex, 1125 E. Brookside Ave., will host the next Julian Jam, an occasional concert series benefiting The Julian Center, on Sept. 19. Doors open at 6 p.m., and jazz musician Sean Imboden will provide music. Tickets are $25. Proceeds benefit The Julian Center's domestic and sexual violence programs.

Free day: On Sept. 23, Indiana Historical Society will offer free admission to the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., with a downloadable ticket. The event celebrates the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution, which offers free admission every day. Museum Day Live! guests will be the first to see IHS's newest exhibit, "You Are There 1863: Letter Home from Gettysburg." Download a ticket at smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-live-2017.

Do Good Indy: Five community organizations are coming together to support children born to incarcerated mothers. Do Good Indy, the Women's March of Indiana, Angel's Wings, the YMCA and Morty's Comedy Joint are collecting donations and promoting a comedy show featuring Shaun Latham on Sept. 29 at Morty's. A portion of ticket sales goes to Angel's Wings, a nonprofit that organizes in-prison baby showers for expectant mothers. Use promo code ANGELWINGS to order tickets at mortyscomedy-com.seatengine.com/shows/60990.

Help for hurricane-battered pets: As another hurricane gears up to make landfall in the U.S., The Barrington of Carmel is lending a hand to pets affected by Hurricane Harvey. The senior living community is hosting a pet supply drive to benefit the SPCA of Texas, which has taken in hundreds of evacuated animals from Corpus Christi, Houston and Beaumont, Texas. Throughout September, the public is invited to drop off donations at The Barrington of Carmel art studio, 1355 S. Guilford Road.